Hardware or software

Emachine T5026
XP
1+ gb ram
350 gb HDD (brand new)
160 gb HDD (came with system)
Motherboard (no idea)
This is my problem, when I bootup with the 160gb HDD, it gets as far as the windows logo and freezes. I install the new HDD and try to install windows on it and it downloads all the way until it say "starting windows", then it also freezes.
I reboot the new harddrive and let it download until it ask me to hit F6 the hit F2 which I do, then it ask me to install the windows automated system recovery disk. I can not do that because my machine does not have a floppy disk drive, I do have a USB external floppy but the machine does not allow to direct it to that external drive.
Can anyone advise me how to fix this problem or am I doomed to visit the geek guys?

Yes there is a way to test... Replace the power supply! If it still won't work right, it is the motherboard. I always replace both the power supply and the motherboard when I get any eMachines in for repair.

Ok, this is where I stand for now, I brought a new SPU, installed and all it does is just show the light on power and nother else, no post, no booting, no nothing. I checked all my connections and they are all plugged in and all I get is my light on the start. Is it something I did wrong in the connection? Need help

I'm Not Sayin' It's Not the Board.....But in This Model, It's not a Given

That particular Emachine, (T-5026), actually has an Intel 915GAG motherboard. It's not a TriGem. The one I'm using at the moment is going on 4 1/2 years old, and no problems with the mobo. Now, the Bestec PSU, way different story! 6 months, and phew, did that POS stink when it blew.

You can't install Windows on this machine, at least not from a Windows disc. The computer come with a DVD restore disc. (You did have to burn it yourself). Anyway if you're trying to install from a genuine Windows CD, I'm surprised you haven't gotten an, "administrative password required", from the BIOS.

If you want to put you OS on the new bigger drive, just install it by itself, (no other drives), and pop the restore disc in the machine, that should rebuild the restore partition and install the OS. Choose "F-12" at boot up, then the full destructive restore option, that will format the new drive. After that's done, then install any other drives to care to, using "disc management" to format and rename them, if you desire.

As to no post or boot, did you remember to plug the 4 pin power connector in next to the CPU?

@TMagic; Whoops, that motherboard will absolutely not take a P-4 519. The 915GAG is an LGA 775 socket, that Biostar board is socket 478.

Any time I see P4, especially in older eMachines, I always assume socket 478... Trigem or not the motherboard is toast. Replace it. If it is indeed an Intel socket 775 you have many more chioces. Forget about using any eMachines restore discs... They are useless

If the restore discs were correctly burned, and the data verified, then they will work fine. In fact the restore discs work on all machines of a particular model. Mine were burned on a different machine, yet they work fine'

If somebody posts that they're Emachine isn't working, then yes, there is always the possibility that the mobo is bad. Not, all Emachines are created equal however.

The OP complained about a restore problem, and was trying to use a Windows disc for that, combined with some nonsense about "F-6". The HDDs in this don't need drivers installed because they're running as IDE, and the restore discs are the only thing that will work with the board. "Enter administrative password" is what you should get when you shove in a standard Windows disc.

At this point in the thread there's relatively little point in condemning the board. It may well be bad, but the OP replaced the PSU, and now the machine does way less than it did before. So, the first thing to check is whether the CPU power is plugged in. The second thing ,although a much more remote possibility, is the replacement PSU is defective. Did the new, good PSU suddenly finish off the motherboard, I suppose that's a possibility also, albeit a twitch far fetched. After those things are ruled out, then by all means take the motherboard out and throw it away.

Now, the other night we were discussing that an Emachine in the T-1000 number range was a "time bomb", quoting myself here. I'm on board with that. Somebody else said the Emachines model they had didn't offer a non-destructive restore option, in which case those restore discs do actually suck.

So, this thread is about a model with which I'm familiar, and which hasn't exhibited any of the problems accredited to it. So, either I bought the only Emachine ever produced with a good set of caps in the mobo, I'm the luckiest person on the planet, the box is waiting for the 5 year mark to blow up in my face, or the only Emachines you see are already broken, any and all of which exist as plausible explanations. My experiences in the lottery seem to contradict the lucky thing though. totally.

Is the board good in the OP's machine, dunno. Will an Intel P-4 Prescott 519 fit in a 478 socket, no.

"Now, the other night we were discussing that an Emachine in the T-1000 number range was a "time bomb", quoting myself here. I'm on board with that. Somebody else said the Emachines model they had didn't offer a non-destructive restore option, in which case those restore discs do actually suck"...

I work on many "crappy" computers of all makes and models... From vintage 1999 to 2008 systems. eMachines hold a special place in my heart though. 3 years and older eMachines, if the motherboard is gone, the computer is gutted and completely refurbished for around $250, depending if I can salvage the memory and CPU. The Intel P-4 Prescott 519 is indeed a socket 775, 3GHz, 533MHz bus CPU. The motherboard is really garbage, but most OEM motherboards are garbage. This eMachines memory is probably DDR and you will find that any replacement boards have DDR2 memory slots. So a Intel socket 775 533MHz bus for lesser Celeron and P4 CPU's will work for jwhitens. He has the power supply, and now needs a motherboard and maybe a copy of XP Home, SP3

My only reservation with this whole issue is the way our OP has approached diagnosing his problem. If I understood his original post correctly, he was taking steps that would contradict fixing his problem. "I don't have a floppy drive". That alone tells me he is/was on the wrong track.

I'm not saying the board isn't bad. I'm saying that everything that has been done so far, has prevented an effective diagnosis.

Yes, those machines are DDR (PC400). Actually, the real trash I've found in my T-5026 was the TSST DVD burner. Now that's a POS! Although I always stipulate, "your results may vary".

Ok, this is where I stand for now, I brought a new PSU, installed it, and all it does is just show the light on power and nothing else, no post, no booting, no nothing. I checked all my connections and they are all plugged in and all I get is my light on the start. Is it something I did wrong in the connection? Need help

Click to expand...

To me, this points to a "dead" motherboard. He has changed the power supply. Going the way of Raybays thoughts, has the motherboard taken out the new supply, or is the motherboard just bad?

Sorry, at work, my CPU is a Pentium 4, 519, operate @ 3.06 MHz, 1MB L2 Cache and 533 MHZ FSB.
When I get home, I'm going to backtrack by disconnecting and reconnecting. What I did when I installed the new PSU was as I disconnect from the old unit, I connected to new cable as the old cable is removed. Captain, you said something about a 4 prong cable next to the CPU, I will check that when I get home. I did not remove a 4 prong cable from the old PSU, it had the 6 prone cable but I will look for the 4 prone. Hope I answered your question.

" I did not remove a 4 pin cable from the old PSU, it had the 6 pin cable but I will look for the 4 pin. Hope I answered your question"...

jwhitens,
if you completely replaced the power supply you automatically disconnected the 4 or 6 pin connector near the CPU, from the motherboard. You did not disconnect it from the power supply. I assure you that it is probably a 4-pin connection or socket near the CPU on the motherboard. If you did not connect this, the motherboard may only power for a second or not at all...

The "PCI-E" PSU connection is the only 6 pin of which I'm aware It is used to connect a high power video card that requires a direct connection to the PSU. Trust me on this, you don't have the need for it. The connector for the CPU is 4 pin (female) and has 2 yellow and 2 black wires.

6-pin CPU power connectors are common on the higher end motherboards... jwhitens eMachines board most likely has the 4 pin type. If your motherboard has the 6 pin type, a 4 pin will fit if it is placed properly. Please note, there are 4 pin connectors for PCIe components, but they are not wired the same as the 4 pin CPU power connectors. jwhitens new power supply probably has both 4 and 6 pin CPU power connectors. The PCIe power connectors should be marked as such

No, it's a 4 pin. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but wouldn't the PSU have either a 4 or 8 pin CPU connector? The 8 pin jobbie being for the for the quads, i7, or extreme CPU editions? My Gigibyte P45 has the 8 pin male, of which you only need to use four for the CPU I'm using. (E7300)

It can be a 4 or 8 pin CPU power connector. My mistake. The PCIe connectors are 4 or 6 pins. I think even the AMD multiple core processors use the CPU power connector. My Abit IP35 Pro uses an 8 pin CPU power connector. I have a Intel Q6600 4 core CPU

Let's take an enormous flight of fancy, and say that jwhiten still had the OEM 300 Watt Bestec. Hard to picture I know. But it would only have a 4 pin CPU plug and NO PCI-E connector. The 915 board is 4 pin as well. I know I could prove this to myself easily, if I would just go and look at the one I still have. That's quite a hurdle though, as I've blocked where I've left it out of my mind.